Power Salad at Addy’s Sandwich Bar

Addy's power salad is a no-frills lunch with dynamic textures, fresh ingredients, and balanced flavor—all for $6.50.

A robustly muscular woman approaches Addy’s Sandwich cart on SW 10th and Alder, assured and decisive. “I’ll take the Power Salad,” she declares, inadvertently flexing her tremendous triceps as she signs a receipt. Admiring her physique, I followed suit, taking bites from the dense salad of fresh vegetables, egg and chickpea. Alas, no Popeye effect—but it's a damn good salad nonetheless.

Longtime cart icon Addy Bittner is known for her fresh baguette sandwiches and addictive flavors, from rich, salty duck confit to sweet chocolate, olive oil and sea salt, but the power salad is the upstart seller. “You can usually tell who is going to order it,” says Bittner, “It’s a hit with the health nuts, but we actually eat it on a daily basis…for a while it was our staff meal.”

The guilt-free details: A super-fresh salad of rotating produce from Morgan’s Landing Farm on Sauvie Island builds the base layer, from couscous with broccoli and peppers to wild rice and kohlrabi. On top, half-moons of creamy avocado, granular bites of chickpea, sliced egg and a scattershot of sunflower seeds tossed in champagne vinaigrette. It’s a no-frills power lunch with dynamic textures, fresh ingredients, and balanced flavor—all for $6.50.